This week, Oprah had a moving op-ed piece in the New York Times about the danger of driving while using a cell phone. Whether you’re holding it or using a headset, talking or texting, there’s mounting evidence that using your phone in your car is just about as dangerous as driving drunk.

Most of us would never dream of getting behind the wheel after a few martinis, but we blithely pick up our phones while driving.

A few weeks ago, a friend posted about this problem to her blog. I was shocked by the number of parents who weighed in to say what I have always felt: my kids distract me, too.

Trying to talk to my kid in the backseat feels dangerous to me for the same reason talking on the phone does. I’m moving the focus of my attention away from the road in front of me. My eyes are still facing the street, and my hands are on the wheel. But my brain is somewhere else.